HELENA — The Montana Supreme Court ordered a lower court to hear from the media regarding public access to documents in a murder case.
A five-member panel ruled in favor of several news outlets on Tuesday. The outlets are seeking public access to documents in the case against Michael Paul Brown, who is charged with shooting and killing four people in Anaconda last summer.
According to the Montana Free Press, District Court Judge Jeffrey Dahood sealed all case documents and proceedings in August before allowing the press to object. When news outlets asked to intervene in the case in January, Dahood rejected the request. He said the media did not show why they had the authority to get involved.
The news outlets then asked the state Supreme Court to review the decision. Chief Justice Cory Swanson signed Tuesday's ruling, with the high court stating Dahood fundamentally misunderstood the law. The district court must now allow the media to argue for public access to the court records.
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